If UConn were to win the National Championship this year they would become the 8th team to win back-to-back championships, along with Oklahoma State, Kentucky, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Duke, UCLA and most recently Florida in 2006 and 2007. Uconn has a very well rounded team this year with 5 different players averaging double digits for the season. They are led by 6 ‘5 senior guard Tristan Newton who is averaging 15 points, nearly 7 boards and over 6 assists for the 2024 season. In addition, center Donivan Clingan, forward Alex Karaban and guard Cam Spencer offer great compliments to the UConn offense. On the defensive end, Cam Spencer leads the team in steals with about 1.5 a game and Donivan Clingan leads the team in blocks with nearly 3 every contest. But at the center of this basketball dynasty is their coach, Dan Hurley.      

Dan Hurley was born into a basketball family. You could say that basketball runs in his blood. His father, Bob Hurley senior, was one of the best high school basketball coaches of all time. In his long coaching career with now-closed school St. Anthony High school in New Jersey he won 28 high school championships, including 9 consecutive championships, and 18 undefeated seasons. He was  named national coach of the year 3 times. In 2010, he was inducted into the basketball hall of fame. Danny Hurley’s older brother Bob, played with Christian Laetner and the Duke Blue Devils for 3 years and won back-to-back national championships. Bobby Jr ended his career as the NCAA’s all-time leader in assists, a record which still stands today. Shortly after, he was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 1993 and played for seven years in the NBA before he started coaching. He had various coaching positions at Wagner, Rhode Island and Buffalo before he became head coach of Arizona State in 2015 where he still coaches today. 

Tough act to follow, right? Before his coaching career began, Dan played 5 years of college basketball at Seton Hall from 91-96. In 2010 he became the head coach of Wagner with his brother as the assistant coach. He set the school single-season win-loss record with 25-6 in 2011-2012. Next, he coached in Rhode Island from 2012-2018 with his brother as well. Nevertheless, his real breakthrough came in 2018 when he became the head coach of the UConn Huskies. 

In his introductory press conference, Hurley explained how he was intrigued to come to UConn, “ This program, which is part of the top public universities in the country, has a championship history and wonderful support from a passionate fan base. I look forward to continuing this proud tradition. “ (New York Times) After a rough first couple years, the team found great success in 2023. Last year, they placed 3rd in the Big East last year and won every tournament game by an average of 20 points! They beat San Diego State in the championship game by 17 points. The scary thing is that UConn has topped that win margin this year. So far, they have won every contest by a staggering 28 points as they are set to face Alabama next Saturday in the Final Four. This culture of winning comes from Hurley’s intense mentality he brings to practice. When asked, what does a championship culture look like, he said, “ Everyone thinks the same things, behaves the same way and we’re all striving for the same things. And that’s what culture means. My job as a head coach is to make sure that everyone in this building is not giving me what they have left, it’s to give everything they got. “ This quote embodies his mentality and why UConn has had such great success. 

Every great coach or great player has superstitions or routines they rigorously follow day after day. For Dan Hurley, he has a rigid set of superstitions he follows every game day. Since last year’s tournament success he has done three things on game day. He eats 8 M&M’s before every game. He drinks one cup of bulletproof coffee on the sideline. Hurley’s final ritual is perhaps the most strange. He wears the same pair of red polka dot underwear every game. How did he come upon these superstitions? No one knows. But, whether or not you believe in superstitions, it is hard to deny Dan Hurley and UConn’s success in the past 2 years. In his time with UConn he has had a 137-58 record, won 2 conference championships, made the final four last year and won the national championship last year. And if they were able to pull off back to back championships for the first time since 2007, it would be nothing short of historic.